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OCBC Bank’s London branch turns 50 this October, and there are celebrations in store. Opened in 1969, the branch is more than a workplace. It is also where employees from 22 different countries gather, mingle, and form deep ties. Irene Fernandes from the Finance department and Account Services manager Jane Ward formed those deep ties when they first met in 1988 “It’s easy to be friends with Irene, who is the sort of person who never fails to help someone in need,” says Jane. “She has been there for me through thick and thin, always offering invaluable advice when I need it.” Family means the world to Jane, and she counts Irene as a member of her innermost circle. “Irene is like a sister to me” says Jane, After all, she asked Irene to be the godmother to her twin sons, born in 2007. The duo have big birthdays this year, too. Jane turns 50, and Irene 60. The dynamic pair usually celebrate milestones together, and here’s hoping they pull out all the stops! Happy birthday, one and all. #peopleofocbc
We celebrated with Singapore’s most promising young businesses last night at the Emerging Enterprise Award gala dinner and award ceremony which we jointly organised with The Business Times. Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and for Education Chee Hong Tat was on hand to congratulate the winners, with the Emerging Enterprise Award going to Emage Vision, Spark Systems and Xjera Labs. Other awards – the Best Innovation Award and Most Promising Start Up Award – were handed out as well. But in a first for the event, a special Sustainability Award was added to the mix. Many of this year’s finalists believe and have shown that businesses can do well by doing good, and this award hoped to further encourage such efforts. Read on for the full list of winners and congratulations to all! http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vMYpw
Our wealth management product manager, Muhammad Afdhaluddin (or “Afdhal” as he is affectionately known), has been learning new content creation skills to complement his existing knowledge in finance, helping him stay relevant in his career. He is now better equipped to create content that helps educate customers on the relevance of various financial products. The Institute of Banking and Finance Singapore (IBF) recently launched its new Skills Framework for Financial Services, setting out progression pathways and skills it has identified to thrive in the Financial industry. We’re proud to share that Afdhal was featured in the Skills Framework Guidebook, where he shared how digitalisation has created new opportunities, leading to the evolution of his role to include creating digital content in areas of investments and personal finance. He said: “To thrive and succeed in the financial services sector, you need to stay curious about digital trends in the banking space. Embrace the use of digital tools to acquire new perspectives.” #peopleofocbc
We’ve enabled customers to use their voice to perform banking transactions like paying bills, tracking expenses and checking past transactions on our OCBC Mobile Banking app. More than 20,000 requests have been made via customers’ voice since last month. This digital innovation was developed in partnership with Clinc, Inc., a global leader in conversational AI, and was sourced through The Open Vault at OCBC.
Cassie Ong, a bubbly extrovert who works in OCBC’s Business Banking Commercial Service Centre, is living the foodie dream. She has the option of visiting restaurants four to seven times a week to taste new creations and photograph them. Her mission: To spread the joy on her social media channels. So, if you’re ever stuck for places to eat, this is the girl to ask. To her, the most under-rated restaurant near the OCBC office in Raffles Place is Un-Yang-Kor-Dai. Cassie says that the lunch sets are affordable, and the northern Thai dishes it serves are rockin’ hot – far beyond the norm. If she could only eat one thing for the rest of her life, though, it’d be bak chor mee. “Local is best,” she says (her favourite place to go for the dish is Serangoon Garden Market). #PeopleOfOCBC
This is a risk where bond holders cannot replace investments at a similar return, as bonds are called when interest rates are falling. Our Credit Analyst, Andrew Wong, suggests that one way to overcome this is to invest in non-callable securities or zero-coupon bonds, as they are usually traded at a deep discount.
Experience Day. 5 teams, 5 awesome business pitches to senior management. The #Frankprenuership experience is an internship programme like no other where students are introduced to the world of banking. This year, 30 students were attached to different units in the bank to understudy specially selected line managers, giving them real hands-on experience of ongoing business transformation projects and product development. #WeSeeYou
OEL Singapore, part of Transworld Group Singapore, has plenty to celebrate this month. Not only does it turn 20 – a milestone that we celebrated with a specially-made vessel-shaped cake – but it is also welcoming new vessels to its fleet. OEL Fortune is one of these vessels, and today, a blessing ceremony was held to protect the vessel and ensure safe travels to all onboard. It is always rewarding for us to see our customers succeed and know that we have played a part in their growth journey. #OCBCxSMEs
We’re proud to have been named Asia’s Best Bank for SMEs by Euromoney! This win is not something that we take for granted. Rather, it is added motivation for us to work even harder for our customers. What can they expect from us going forward? Even better digital banking – and beyond banking – solutions, continued internationalisation support from our regional franchise, and most importantly, our customers can expect long-term partnership from us through the different stages of their growth. #OCBCxSME
Our people pull no punches when it comes to living life to the fullest. Caleb Teo works in OCBC Bank’s COO’s office, a place he says is dynamic, energetic and passionate – an atmosphere that reflects his personality. But Caleb, a passionate sportsman, also gives his time to teaching boxing classes at a gym just around the corner from the Bank. “I love boxing because there are life lessons to be learnt,” he says. “As Mike Tyson said, boxing is not a tough man’s sport, it’s a thinking man’s sport.” #PeopleOfOCBC
